By Matters India Reporter
Kolkata, September 11, 2026: The Bangiya Khristiya Parisheba (BCP), a Christian community organisation in India’s West Bengal state, has criticised what it said was a campaign targeting churches and Christians after a controversial poster displayed in the historic town of Santipur circulated widely online.
The poster carried the offensive line, “Hindus worship deities, which is why they suffer from so many diseases. Victory to Jesus, let us become Christians.”
BCP denounced it as a criminal act aimed at disturbing social harmony. “Promoting Christianity by insulting another religion is against the very principles of the Church. No follower of Christ would ever endorse such provocation,” the organisation said in a statement.
BCP pointed out that the poster was placed in an area with hardly any Christian families, while no such posters appeared in nearby Krishnanagar where Christians live in larger numbers. “Targeting Santipur raises strong suspicions of a deeper conspiracy,” the group observed.
Santipur dating back to the 9th century, when it was an illustrious center for Sanskrit literature, Vedic texts, and scriptures is located in the Ranaghat subdivision of the Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is about 90 kilometers north of state capital Kolkata and roughly 18 to 21 kilometers from Krishnanagar, the district headquarters.
Local resident Bela Dhara, whose phone number appeared on the poster, clarified that she and her family are not Christians and had nothing to do with the printing or circulation of the material.
She explained that the number belongs to her son, Nimai Dhara, and confirmed that she has verbally reported the matter to police. “Where is it written that a Hindu cannot love Jesus?” she asked, asserting that personal respect and faith are individual matters.
Despite these clarifications, BCP said propagandists continue to blame the wider Christian community, using television and social media to spread hatred.
The organisation’s legal cell contacted Santipur Police Station, but officers only stated that an investigation was “ongoing.”
BCP expressed concern that the police are not acting with sufficient urgency given the current social tension, insisting that identifying those responsible should not be difficult for modern law enforcement.
Founder State Secretary and spokesperson Herod Mullick demanded immediate arrest of the miscreants behind the poster and stern legal action against those attempting to incite communal hatred.
“If the administration fails to arrest the culprits swiftly, we will be forced to pursue further legal recourse,” Mullick warned.
(Photo supplied)